Tuesday, September 22, 2009

September Update

Zimbabwe: We continue to pray for direction and timing on when to go to back to Zimbabwe. We have agreed to return and work with Dave and Cynthia Fortescue of RNAM. We are awaiting God’s timing. For now Dani is undergoing medical treatments for Lyme disease and we must wait until at least the end of those treatments. We do not know how long the cure will take.

In the meantime, our lives are NOT on hold. God is blessing us daily as we learn what it means to live in grace and holiness. We can serve and learn as much here in Sequim Washington as in any foreign field, so we are content to go wherever and whenever the Lord so directs.

Secret Place: For security reasons I cannot mention the area where we sometimes serve, but you know the place. The pastors’ group continues to meet. Last week, leaders from 14 churches gathered and had a blessed time together. One brother gave a sermon about working for the Kingdom and not just their congregation. They prayed and worshiped. They are planning united undertakings such as helping the needy, praying over strategic areas of the city, combined worship, and various kinds of training.

God is on the move in this city.

We are praying about returning in 2010 for a special assignment that cannot be discussed here, but contact us directly if you want more info.

India: We continue to seek the Lord’s progress of a home in the southern mountains for trafficked children. We have set up a formal trust under the government of India. Its name is Alpha and Omega.

Right now Richard Harris is there investigating land for building. Richard is a godly young man from Chennai. He had some difficulty locating the place I saw when I was in Kerala earlier this year. I had little information for him to go on other than the name of the nearest village, a photo of a bridge over a river, and some subtitle confirmation that God was directing us to this particular place.

Richard eventually found the bridge based on the photo. We had heard there was a Christian pastor living near the bridge and so I suggested that Richard contact the pastor.

The pastor’s name is Kutappan and he is a real man of God serving the tribals of the area who are poor and without a written language. Richard sat in Kutappan’s house and as he explained our vision of a school and hostel the pastor began to cry. Next he called his wife and excitedly told her what Richard had said.

“For twenty years I have be praying for a school, hostel, and hospital for these tribal children. Two weeks ago God told me that a man would soon come to tell me how this hope would be fulfilled.” Pastor Kutappan wept for some time in joy. His wife and Richard also cried from joy of what God was doing.

When asked how the project would be funded, Richard was cautious and answered, “We are doing everything on prayer; step by step. We don’t have a single Rupee now but if God wants to, he can give us one crore.” (1 crore = 10 Million Rupees = $200,000 US).

At the mention of one crore, pastor Kutappan cried again. “Just a few days ago, I was praying about this and said to the Lord, ‘You are able to do all things. If you need to you can provide one crore just like that.”

Richard will be in Kerala for more than a week so he can attend pastor Kutappan’s church on Sunday and gather more information. He has already discovered that there is tribal land available by the bridge, if we can convince the chiefs of the legitimacy of this undertaking on their behalf. Unfortunately, another man recently came and set up a school and it turned out to be a scam. So the locals are understandably soured on the idea of another attempt. We will have a difficult time gaining the confidence of these remote people.

Please pray for Richard. There is a man following him around with evil intent. The man is a local pastor’s son and Richard believes this son and his father want to poison the project and shut it down before it is even birthed. Please pray against this wicked attempt.

I prayed with Richard over the phone and he is very encouraged by all the Lord is doing to reveal the right people and places to him.

GOD ROCKS!